Scrooge 1970 Re-watch

In 1970, arguably at the end of the heyday of movie musicals, the story of A Christmas Carol got a musical treatment from the pen of Leslie Bricusse who went on to write songs for the following year’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory another of my all time favourite movies. The fact that neither movie really set the box office alight hinted at changes in the tastes of the cinema going public. However, both have their die hard fans and both have remained cultural touchstones for the generation that first saw them and the succeeding generations. So, what is special about Scrooge?

The Cast

Rather like the George C Scott version I blogged about yesterday this version of Scrooge has household names sprinkled throughout the cast. Albert Finney is a marvellously bitter Scrooge who plays him as an unrepentant miser at the start. You could argue that his redemption arc is perhaps a little extreme, but what would you expect in a musical? He inhabits the role with gusto and his speak singing enables him to overcome the limitations of his musical abilities as he delivers the songs with a depth of emotion especially in I’ll Begin Again. The first three ghosts he meets with are played by British acting legends Alec Guinness as Jacob Marley, Dame Edith Evans as The Ghost of Christmas Past and Kenneth More as The Ghost of Christmas Present. All three enjoy themselves tremendously with Guinness in particular chewing the scenery with relish! However, of the three, it’s perhaps Edith Evans who leaves the biggest impression of acting excellence as the faintly disapproving and gently acerbic spirit looking on with a mixture of disappointment and interest at Scrooge’s past. She plays it completely straight and it’s all the more effective for that. Laurence Naismith is a magnificent Mr Fezziwig, embodying the spirit of the character more than in any other filmed version, and in my fantasy Christmas Carol with my favourite actors in the roles, he would definitely be my Fezziwig of choice. Try to avoid singing along with December the 25th if you can as his infectious joy lights up the screen. Alongside these names one other actor stands out for his bravura performance of the film’s most famous song. Anton Rodgers as Tom Jenkins was given the opportunity to sing the Oscar nominated song Thank You Very Much and he absolutely knocked it out of the park. When he is singing a song filled with sharp, occasionally bitter humour, he brings out the underlying hatred of the mean moneylender whilst still singing and dancing with infectious good humour.

The Songs

I have already mentioned two of the songs, but the soundtrack is packed with the superb song writing of Leslie Bricusse at every turn. From the riotous Father Christmas to the misanthropic I Hate People to the sweet and sentimental Christmas Children this film has every mood catered for. Almost every song is a singalong classic that would really suit a singalong version at the cinema. However, it doesn’t seem to have been revived in the wider public affection in the way that Willy Wonka has, to the extent that the prequel, Wonka, released on Friday (8 December), which uses some of Bricusse’s original music, in the UK has become one of the most anticipated and critically lauded films of the year. The songs in Scrooge are arguably much more effective as a score and the theatre revival of the early 90s with some well judged additions proved to be one of the best stage shows of the decade.

The Secret of its Success

For me, Scrooge has become a Christmas classic for a few reasons. I have already mentioned the cast and the songs, but the other main ingredient is more intangible. Bricusse loved A Christmas Carol and he wanted to share his affection for this marvellous story. He does so by investing each role, large or small, with a rich characterisation and an actor that embodies that role perfectly within the film. Look at Fred’s friend Harry, with just a few lines, played by the legendary Gordon Jackson, the toyshop owner with only a couple of scenes played by Catweazle and Magic Grandpa (depending on your age or the age of your children) star Geoffrey Bayldon or one of the two charity collectors, played by Roy Kinnear. Each of these minor roles is brought to life with care and with a seriousness that shows actors who were committed to the character and the film. Yes, Scrooge doesn’t really reflect the grittiness of Dickens’ novel, but it’s not supposed to. It is there to reflect the redemption arc, almost from the very beginning. I can also see that the addition of scenes in Hell aren’t really the film’s finest moments as they don’t really make sense, but Guinness saves the scenes with his playful acknowledgement of their absurdity. In the final reckoning, though, this film is simply great fun and what’s wrong with that at Christmas? It will almost certainly be on a TV channel at least once during Christmas, so even if you don’t have it on Blu Ray like I do, why not settle down in front of it for two hours of total enjoyment?